Date: 3 December 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden

The French Presidency of the EU during the autumn 2008 is played out during a period of intense activity both on the global and European levels. The agenda of the Presidency has largely been set by unexpected external events, such as the conflict in Georgia, the global financial crisis but also the Irish no in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. At the same time, the French presidency has marked progress on important EU dossiers, such as immigration of highly skilled workers and the climate change package.

The Presidency is characterized by the French President's enthusiasm to deal with difficult global challenges and, in the process, place the EU on the scene of international politics. However, his proposals have at times attracted criticism from other EU partners, in particular as concerns the future of economic governance in the EU.

These and other considerations are discussed in the report The French Presidency of 2008: The Unexpected Agenda by Christian Lequesne and Olivier Rozenberg. The report is a part of the research project The EU Presidencies.

Speakers
Christian Lequesne, Senior Research Fellow, Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales, Sciences Po, France
Olivier Rozenberg, Senior Research Fellow, Centre de Recherches Politiques, Sciences Po, France

Comments
Joël de Zorzi, Ambassador of France to Sweden
Ingrid Hjelt af Trolle, Director General, Department for EU-coordination, Swedish Prime Minister’s Office

Chair
Anna Michalski, Acting director, SIEPS

 Programme (178.3 kB)